Improved show-case for silks, cottons



drifted ,gattina oponen D. LEONA-Rn,

or NEW YORK', N. Y.

LettersiPa/teat No. 98,982, dated January 18, 1'870.

IMPROVED SHOW-CASE FOR SILKS, COTTONS, &c.

The Schedule referredeto in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern i Beit known that I, GEORGE D. LEONARD, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Displaying Silks, Gottons, and other articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a front view ofmy apparatus, as applied to the displaying of silk on spools, and

Figure 2, a longitudinal sect-,ion of the same, taken asiudicated by the line x a: in fig. 1.

My invention, although applicable to displaying various other articles, will 'here be described, by way of illustrating its action, in connection with the' display of silk, or it may be cotton thread, or other like material, put upon spools. y

Said apparatus may either be used las a portable device, for the display of samples by travelling agents, in soliciting orders, or be a fixture, or, rather, stationary appendage, in stores and other places, to fa-A cilitate the exposure either of samples, or the articles themselves on sale.

The invention consists in au apparatus made up of, or combining a case containing lopposite end-rollers, ,an endless belt or belts, apron, or chain, carried and `driven by said rollers, or by one of them, and swinging trays or spool-carriers, hung in brackets attached to the apron, belt, or chain, and so constructed or weighted as that in the travelV of the a-prou, or its equivalent, in opposite directions and Iaround the drums, the mouths ot' the trays arerpreseuted uppermost, which prevents the articles required to be displayed fromfalling out` ot the trays, in or during the travel of the apron, belt, or chain; and

The invention further includes the combination of a tle'xible slotted shutter with said case and mechanism therein, which secures display of the articles within the case.

' Referring to the accompanying drawing--r A represents a case, made up of anysuitable inaterial, size, and shape, open in front.

Across this case, on its inside, are arraugedenddrums or rollers 'B B, provided with trunnions or shafts, which project from either end of them, and turn in bearings made in the sides of the case, or in sliding-boxes made to t. therein, and adjustable by screws andnuts a a, which is the arrangement shown for the one drum, and the object of which is to tighten, as required, the endless belt or apron C, that is carried by the drums B B, and is set in motion by turning one of the drums, through a crank or handle,

b, or otherwise..

Secured to this endless apron C, at or near its edges, are any number of outwardly-projecting brackets c c, arranged in opposite pairs, at equal or other 'distances apart.

In these brackets are hung, so as to be capable of freely swinging, by means ot spindles or shafts d d, trough-like carriers or trays D D, of semicircular form in their transverse section, although theyl may be of rectangularror other shape, according to the description of the articles to be displayed, or position required to be given them in the trays. rlhus, where the articles are spools of silk, for instance, the trays may be shaped either to hold the'spools on end, or longitudinally; preferably, however, the latter, as represented in th'e drawing.

Attached to the spindles d d are weights e e, for preserving the traysD D in a horizontal position, with their mouths uppermost, when working the apron C, and as they pass around the rollers B B, whereby the` articles carried bythe trays are prevented from falling out of the latter, their proper exposure is secured.

llie trays D Dhshould only be-ot' such a depth as that they will expose a large port-ion ot' each spool E lying therein..

Said spools have wound upon them various grades and colors of silk or other material. l

From this description it willA be seen that by turning the handle t, 'the spools vare displayed in succession, or as required, and in a straight line or plane, as contradistinguished from a circular travel of them,

.that occupies much room, and gives but a limited exposure, and is defective as regardsvcomparing shades; said spools E being displayed in succession, or as required, accordingly as the several trays containing them are brought in front of the case, and to any desired posit-ion thereof. y A

11 is a flexible slotted or other suitable curtain-like shutter, passed over end-pulleys on the upper rollertrunnions, and having a weight, g, attached to .its rear end, for tak-ing up slack of the shutter, and to facilitate its Working, in drawing it up or down, so as to more or less uncover the open front of the case A,

` or to entirely close the same, for protection of the ar' ticles in the trays from dust and light.

This shutter-arrangement or construction is specially applicable to a vertical position of the case A. When the case is designed to occupy a horizontal posit-ion, as, for instance, to lie on a counter, th'en, sliding, hinged, or other suitable doors may be substituted for the tlexible vshutter F.

Vhat is here claimed, anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement and combination of the endless belt C, brackets c, and weight-ed swinging trays D, with the.case A, rollers B, and flexible shutters F, substantially as shown and described.

GEO. D. LEONARD.

Witnesses:

JOHN D. Rossn'r,

, HENRY PALMER. 

